In the leap second month of the first year of Yuanyou, Gengxu (22nd), the Cold Food Festival holiday has passed.
On Ma Xing Street, a group of uninvited guests came.
Most of them wore brightly colored robes with left lapels, round lapels, and mink fur. The robes were embroidered with various animal patterns, and there were dragon patterns woven with gold thread between the sleeves of the robes.
There are daggers on his waist and hanging on his robe.
The standard image of a powerful noble from Northern China!
An entire imperial army guarded (supervised) and guarded (watched) these northern nobles.
The whole Ma Xing Street immediately became a sensation.
The shopkeepers and clerks in countless shops immediately became nervous, and each one of them breathed rapidly.
They knew that the God of Wealth was coming.
However, these northerners just looked here and there on Mahang Street.
I had no intention of buying anything, and I didn't even actually go into a store to look at anything.
Until they walked to a shop.
Suddenly they walked right in.
Then, I stayed in this shop for about a quarter of an hour, and finally went out satisfied.
In the following time, in the surrounding shops, only the people in this shop were seen busy packing the products one by one.
Pieces of expensive brocade were carefully packaged and then carefully put into exquisite lacquer boxes.
The shop owners in the surrounding shops drooled at the sight.
They couldn't understand why Beilu liked the brocade in this shop?
Obviously, his brocades are expensive and the workmanship is only above average.
Just because the owner behind this family is named Cao?
And the Liao envoy's procurement is still going on.
They entered one shop after another, signed contracts with these shops, set prices and made appointments.
They buy everything!
Rouge gouache, spice brocade, porcelain tea...
From Ma Hang Street, I swept goods all the way to Panlou Street.
They took out wads of money and used them as deposits to pay to the relevant merchants.
Everyone looked at all this in stunned silence.
But they have no idea what these northern barbarians are doing?
How did they choose the store?
Randomly? Or chosen by divination?
There is no pattern at all!
There is no logic at all.
However, the people behind these merchants have already seen it.
"The stores that Beilu entered were all the shops of Cao, Liu, Yang, Li, and Wang..."
Although, I don’t know what happened to Beilu?
However, everyone knows that this may have something to do with the petty officials in the palace.
Otherwise, why don't we enter other stores in Beilu, but only those stores of those families?
Countless people are heartbroken and heartbroken.
If they had known that they would receive such treatment after paying back the money, they would have paid it back earlier!
Why didn't the officials give a hint?
Also, the Cao family, the Liu family, the Yang family, the Li family, and the Wang family, these rotten sheep-headed guys, why don’t they give some serious advice?
What I usually say sounds nice.
What kind of unity of honor and nobles, what kind of brothers who have been friends for generations.
When it comes to the end, I forget all about it!
Especially the Cao family, the Liu family, the Yang family and the Li family, these guys all packed people in front of the emperor to serve as companions for the officials.
I'm afraid the officials had already hinted at them, so they could react so quickly.
But these guys don't care about the slightest bit of brotherhood, and don't show any respect for nobles.
Everyone just thinks about eating alone and doesn’t think about others at all!
While the nobles were cursing each other, countless news began to reach their ears through various channels.
Some of this information was released by Cao, Liu, Yang, Li and Wang themselves on their own initiative.
Some of them were bought by nobles and nobles with money.
These messages are fragmented and boring, but make everyone who hears them grit their teeth.
Because the main theme of these messages is one - the purchase quantity of the Liao envoy.
Even the price was revealed vaguely.
It’s a price much higher than the market price!
What makes the nobles even more jealous is that the Liao people's purchases are still huge.
It is often measured in units of ten thousand yuan!
Qiansheng, Cao, Liu, Yang, Li, Wang and other stores have sufficient supply of goods.
Brocade, spices, tea...
Then, these guys came around.
Isn't this what they sold at a low price a few days ago?
Everyone sighed after thinking of this.
I just wish I could give myself a knife!
"If I had paid back the money earlier, why would it be like this?!"
…
Zhao Xu was in the palace, so he was naturally paying attention to the situation of the Liao purchasing group.
Because Liao people’s purchases were all completed in designated shops.
Naturally, Zhao Xu can clearly grasp the details of Liao people's purchases, even down to the quantity of each commodity category.
In one day, the Liao people's purchase volume had exceeded 700,000 yuan.
Most of them are luxury goods.
Fine tea, expensive brocade, spices, and even tens of thousands of rouge and gouache.
Only a small part of the funds flowed to general commodities.
For example, ordinary or low-quality tea leaves, and ordinary silk cloth.
The sum of these two items is estimated to be no more than 100,000 yuan.
Zhao Xu laughed after reading the product catalog.
Although he had increased the price, the luxury and greed of the Liao people still opened his eyes.
"Let Jiaoziwu prepare it and print another one million Jiaozi for later use!" Zhao Xu ordered.
With the temperament and style of the Liao people, there was naturally no financial discipline at all.
Therefore, Zhao Xu knew that they would soon make a new withdrawal request.
This speed will be very fast.
Moreover, Zhao Xu was certain that when the Liao people took the money, they would still mainly purchase luxury goods.
Why?
Because the person who spends money is the emperor and the powerful.
Rather than the common people and herdsmen below.
It's that simple!
"No!" Shi De bowed and accepted the order.
"That's right!" Zhao Xu suddenly asked: "What are you nobles doing now?"
Shi Deyi lowered his head and said: "Let me tell you, as far as I know, most of the people are busy paying back the money!"
Zhao Xu snorted and asked: "In other words, there are still a small number of people who don't want to pay back the money?"
Zhao Xu remembered it very carefully.
There are thirty-five large households and twenty-seven wine shops in Bianjing City, and they owe about 1.54 million yuan in loans from the city.
Accounting for more than 56% of the total amount of arrears of Shiyiwu (2.73 million yuan).
And that's just the loans these guys owe.
They also owe a lot of business taxes and wasted money.
The total amount must have exceeded two million dollars.
But the total money and gold and silver released by Zhao Xu is only 1.1 million guan. Counting these guys' own funds, it will definitely not reach the figure of 2 million guan.
Therefore, mathematics has told Zhao Xu that someone must have not paid back the money.
Now Shi Deyi has proven this.
Shi Deyi lowered his head and said: "There are indeed a few companies that have been indifferent so far and have not taken any action!"
Zhao Xu nodded and asked, "Who are they?"
Shi Deyi replied: "Your Majesty, I know that there is Zhang family in Xingguofang..."
Shi Deyi quickly shook his head: "Your Majesty, this is a gift to Grand Master and Attendant Zhongrong Xi Gong..."
Zhao Xu still didn't remember, so Shi Deyi could only remind him: "It's after Xu Guogong Zhang Qi!"
"Oh!" Zhao Xu finally remembered this person.
This was the Qiandi Minister of the Zhenmiao Dynasty. He was worshiped as the Jiedushi Envoy during his lifetime. He also served as the Privy Envoy of the Renmiao Dynasty for a time, traveling to various places.
When he was alive, he was very famous, and his status was roughly the same as that of Wen Yanbo now.
But this family has long since declined.
So much so that even Zhao Xu didn't quite remember that there was such an honorable family in the country.
"How much does his family owe?" Zhao Xu asked.
"About 25,000 guan!" Shi Deyi replied: "Among them, the City Yiwu owes more than 10,000 guan, and the rest is owed to the commercial tax bureau of the Commercial Taxation Institute."
"Twenty-five thousand guan?" Zhao Xu asked, also muttering to himself.
"I remember that the two generations of emperors Zhenmiao and Renmiao were endlessly grateful to the Zhang family. The Zhang family's mansion in Xingguofang was one of the most luxurious mansions in Bianjing City, with a threshold of 800 yuan!"
"Why can't you even pay back twenty-five thousand guan?"
"Are you unable to pay back? Or are you unwilling to pay back?"
Shi Deyi lowered his head and said nothing, but silence itself was the answer - he was unwilling to return the favor!
Zhao Xu laughed and rubbed his hands.
Zhang's mansion has a profit margin of 800 yuan, and it is still a house with a profit ratio of 800 yuan in Xingguofang!
For this house, even if only half of the house is rented out, the rental income will be tens of thousands of dollars.
And this house was given by the emperor!
In other words, from Zhao Xu's perspective, this thing is - someone is living in his house, eating his salary, and destroying his stage.
It is tolerable, but what is intolerable!
Zhao Xu just sneered and continued to ask: "Is there more?"
Shi Deyi named several families in succession. These families were basically in similar situations to the Zhang family.
They are all declining families, and they can only maintain their relationship with the royal family by marrying the princess or even the county lord and other clan members.
In fact, it is to spend money on those collateral clans and buy the status of a relative of the emperor.
Then relying on the shadow of the ancestors, they pretended to be powerful outside.
In fact, he had already sat at the children's table and was squeezed out of the circle of nobles.
Every year, the big and middle Yans in the palace would not invite them again.
Although their descendants can still obtain official positions.
But the starting point is no longer much different from ordinary people.
He couldn't even qualify as a sanitation officer, so he could only hold titles such as Doctor Yinqing Guanglu, Inspector of the Imperial Academy, Imperial Prince Sacrifice Liquor, and Military Cavalry Lieutenant.
He looks cool and cool, and sounds very powerful.
In fact, they are neither birds.
Why?
Because even minor officials can get these titles as long as they work without making mistakes for more than ten years.
For example, in the Kaifeng Prefecture's meeting hall, the title of the old junior official who was dedicated to delivering official documents to the imperial court was: Kaifeng Prefecture's meeting hall clerk yamen, Yinqing Guanglu doctor, the prince's guest, the supervisory censor, and Wu.
Cavalry Captain.
Even he himself couldn't remember such a long title, and no one would call him by these titles on weekdays.
These titles are of no use at all.
Basically, these titles have only one function - to prove to outsiders that he is not a civilian.
After Zhao Xu heard this, he laughed.
"very good!"
She lives in a house given by the emperor, eats from the Zhao family, and owes him money, but is unwilling to pay back even though she knows his attitude.
Do you really think he has no temper?
It just so happened that this time, Zhao Xu followed the example of Yuan Mu Lixin before Shang Yang's reform.
His original intention was to let the nobles know that if they followed him, they would get something to eat.
Cao, Liu, Yang, Li, Wang and Sun Ci are the logs on which the logs stand.
Now, there are actually people rushing to come to the door, insisting on letting him hit the wall.
If you don't fight this, it won't be justified.
Of course, there are also particularities to how to hit the board.
You have to think carefully and find another excuse.
You can't just use money owed by others as an excuse for not paying back.
That's too rough. You have to find another excuse and find a crime.
Zhao Xu thought for a while and then said to Shi De: "Go and tell the Kaifeng Mansion that I plan to resume the inspection of the Kaifeng Mansion on Guichou (25th) of this month!"
"Let Cai Jing organize it and select a few cases as the starting point for me to officially inspect politics!"
"No!" Shi De bowed to accept the order and was about to deliver the order.
Zhao Xu stopped him.
"Everyone knows, please remember to tell the Kaifeng Mansion carefully and don't resort to fraud. I want to see the real dossier and the real voice of the people!"
"Let Kaifeng Mansion not feel pressured, and don't care about other people's backgrounds!"
"I am the emperor, and the emperor must make decisions for the people!"
Zhao Xu said solemnly.
But the more Shi Deyi listened, the more strange he felt.
What is a real dossier and what is a real voice of the people?
Who do you want to make the decision for?
Shi De lowered his head and quickly knew the answer.
This is obvious!
But he did not dare to make his own claims and asked tentatively: "What do you mean?"
"I don't mean anything!" Zhao Xu said seriously.
"You know everything and go!"
Shi Deyi understood.
Note: There is a type of title in the Northern Song Dynasty called "Yinwujianjiu", which is a constitutional title and is also called a concurrent title.
Basically, they are at the bottom of the chain of contempt for titles. Maybe Song Jiang in the Water Margin story had these titles when he was an escort.
